Portland Planning Director Susan Anderson Is Leaving City Government

Anderson will stay six months to help with the transition.

Marquam Bridge and Tilikum Crossing (Tony Webster/Flickr)
By Rachel Monahan

Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability director Susan Anderson is planning to leave her post in six months' time.

Anderson has been bureau director of Planning and Sustainability for nine years, but during her three decades with the city, she has also served as director of two other city bureaus—the Energy Office and Office of Sustainability Development.

Her work has helped keep Portland on the map for city planning, as well as for efforts to counteract and prepare for climate change.

Anderson is one of nine top city leaders to announce their departures in the last 14 months. But unlike some of the others others, she will be sticking around to help ease the transition. (Her departure also does not involve a severance payment, indicating she was not pushed out by the mayor, who oversees planning.)

Here's her letter announcing her departure:

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.